Salt and Light

Over the last two posts in this series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we’ve seen how the sermon begins with the Beatitudes, a collection of apocalyptic Wisdom sayings that overturn the general ways things work in human societies. Rather than it being the world’s ‘winners’ who are blessed, Jesus insists it’s those who are the ‘losers’ by its standards whom God considers blessed, and who will be rewarded in God’s Kingdom. And so in a world that promotes delusions of grandeur, spiritual bypassing, narcissism, greed, hidden motives, cruelty, and following the path of least resistance, the Beatitudes promote instead an ethic grounded in acceptance of reality, lamentation, humility, the pursuit of righteousness and peace, simplicity, compassion, and perseverance in the face of persecution. That this represents a difference — and a positive one at that — from the norm is reinforced in the next teaching, which is the focus of today’s post: the claim that his followers are ‘salt’ and ‘light’.

The text reads:

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5.13-16)

These are interesting qualities. Salt, in the correct proportions, adds a zest that enhances the flavours already present in a dish. It can also, in the right circumstances, act as a preservative (think pickled vegetables or salted meat products). And yet, in the wrong proportions, salt can be overpowering and easily ruin a dish. So, salt is an interesting metaphor for the Christian life. The point Jesus is making is that Christians are supposed to be different, but it’s a difference that enhances and supports the life of the broader community. In the underlying Greek, the word the English translates as “has lost its taste” literally means “becomes dull,” and is closely related to the word translated as “foolish” in proverbs about human behaviour. So, there’s a contrast here between the wise person who is enhancing the flavour or preserving the life of the community, and the foolish person who just blends in.

Light, of course, enables us to see. The analogy Jesus gives is of light coming from a city on a hill, that can be seen from a long way off and guide people home, or of a lamp put in a prominent place and can therefore give light to a whole room. Just as salt is meant to enhance flavour, light is meant to shine out.

As I’ve previously noted about this theme:

Jesus makes it clear that his disciples are to be different within society, just as Israel, as God’s people, were to be different within the wider world. What passes for ‘the way things work’ in the world are, for Jesus and those of us who follow him, ways of destruction that need to be overturned. (Blessed are the poor in spirit … Blessed are the meek … Blessed are those who mourn…) In a bland world, Jesus’ disciples are to be salt; in a dark world, Jesus’ followers are to be light.

There is a call to action here: Either we live out the ethic of the Beatitudes and thereby show to the world that there is another way of being in the world — challenging for sure, but also inherently attractive — or we aren’t doing our job. And the goal of this action is never to draw attention to ourselves, but to the God who inspires and enables it.

Not to beat a dead horse, but again we need to take a hard look at our priorities and how we present ourselves as Christians in and to the world. All too often we Christians do stand out in the world, but not for the good reasons Jesus is talking about. But the Gospel is, if nothing else, a message of transformation. It’s never too late to hear the call to repentance and have our eyes opened anew to the gracious, humble, and compassionate ways of our God.